


Misadventures in Inkopolis

by 570RMP1R473



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Action, Adventure, Gen, matt gets yelled at, pearl tries to rap battle a guy and gets beaten at it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2020-09-05 22:13:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20280670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/570RMP1R473/pseuds/570RMP1R473
Summary: Matt Miller's an 18-year old Inkling who just lives a somewhat normal life. If you excuse him having all his strange adventures, of course. Joined by his partner and girlfriend, Kinzie Kenzington, he'll go around Inkopolis, causing just as much trouble as he's solving. Or at least being helpful to a lot of other people, which is normally what he's about. Who knows, maybe he'll stumble upon something that puts the fate of Inkopolis's safety in his hands...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Woah! First work post here. I've moved here from somewhere else, and wanted to upload this as a result, since I've got way too many ideas to throw away. So, here we are! Hope you enjoy, and stay fresh!

Opening: Another Day

It was just a regular day in Inkopolis. The bustling streets below Moray Towers, the Inklings and Octolings present making noise as usual. After the defeat of DJ Octavio, more and more Octolings were coming to Inkopolis. Albeit present and obvious, most Inklings thought they were just their species, just with strange hairstyles. The Idols were all fine with what they were doing, just tending to their own careers and such. It was a nice life for the denizens of Inkopolis, their peace untouched and perfectly cared for. Matt’s alarm started going off, the custom song waking Matt up in perfect timing with the chant. His eyes flung open, as if he was electrified while asleep. He blinked them slowly, sitting up on his bed. He stretched out his arms and hit his alarm clock, turning it off. “Another day of existence… Yay.” He moved to the side of his bed before standing up. He looked around and saw nothing was in disarray. He went to his bathroom to wash up. Visible eye problem, cynical personality, and tentacles untied. Perfect. He took a shower before tying up his tentacles and walking to his closet. He picked out his classic outfit, including the leather jacket he had 20 copies of for some reason. Once done, he left his room to check out what was happening there. Kinzie wasn’t up yet, so she hadn’t made breakfast yet. “Guess I’m buying again.” He took his car keys, wallet, and phone, before heading out the door.

He took the elevator down to the garage in Moray Towers on the first floor. He found his car, got in, and started the ignition. Once done, he drove out and to Inkopolis Square, where he found a parking space and stopped there. He walked into the Square, looking around at the cephalopods present. The sun was shining, and peeps were chatting merrily around him. The sunlight bounced off his shades, protecting his eyes from the light. Bright lights cause his eyes to bleed when exposed for too long, so he needs them. He went to a nearby café and ordered a breakfast sandwich, as usual. Two slices of bread, an omelet, some cheese, and a pinch of salt, toasted to brown and cut into triangles. He ate it on the way out of the store, wondering what to do now. “I wonder what’ll happen today. Might just be the usual.” He went back to his car and drove to his workplace, a hub for assassins like him. He didn’t seem intimidated by the security present, as he had experienced it several times already. When he went in however, someone informed him that there weren’t any contracts for today. Guess no one wants someone dead today. He stepped out of the building, sandwich in hand. He noticed someone enter an alleyway that looked familiar, and followed them there. “Hey!” Matt called out for them. They turned around slowly, and Matt knew their face. “Oh, hey there, Reed.”


	2. An Old Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt meets up with an old friend from his childhood.

Matt approached Reed and raised his hand, setting up a high five. Reed received it, so Matt wouldn’t look like an idiot with his hand in the air. It had been a while since they saw each other. Particularly, about four years. “How you been, man? You became taller than I expected.” Matt asked him. They were at eye level with each other, so they were about the same height. “Been a long four years without ya, pal. Where were you, anyway?” Reed replied. “Got captured and sent to a prison camp for three years. Broke out and tried to survive for another year. You?” Matt explained, somehow nonchalantly describing the trouble he went through. “Just had to live normally. You wanna get something to eat?” Matt nodded, and they left the alley before heading to the Square.

As they were walking toward the Square, a few questions ran about Reed’s mind about his newly returned friend. “So, have you met anyone yet?” He asked Matt. “Oh, I have! Her name’s Kinzie. Beautiful and magnificent girl. Saved her from a picture frame.” He replied. Reed raised an eyebrow at the last part, but just shrugged it off. “Got a job yet? And Grizzco doesn’t count, since they’re open to everybody.” Reed asked again. Matt chuckled at the Grizzco part, before replying. “I got a job as a hitman during that year where I tried to survive. I’m surprisingly good at it.” He explained. “It’s how I managed to get back into Inkopolis and get the stuff I have now.” Reed was satisfied with his answer before throwing another question. “Hey, uh, what happened to your parents?” Reed asked. Matt froze, his expression stoic. He snapped out of it quickly, though. He shook his head and looked at Reed. “I’m sorry, what?” Matt asked him, the life returning to his face. “N-nothing…” Reed didn’t ask the question again, thinking it’d bring back any memories for Matt. They entered a sandwich place near the Square. One of Matt’s favorite foods was sandwiches, which sort of explains why he eats them day in, day out. They ordered two, got the food, and left the store. Matt paid for it, since it just felt right that he did.

Shortly after, they found a table in the Square and sat down. Their conversation continued, Reed still curious about Matt’s life the past few years, since everything was normal for him. “So… About earlier… Really, what happened to your parents? Do you still see them?” Reed asked the same question he asked earlier. Matt, instead of going stoic just like earlier, pulled out his wallet. It had an ID, a driver’s license, a credit card, an arcade card, and some money. From inside, he pulled out a torn photo. It was a picture of him when he was 14, along with his dad, Tavish. His mother was originally in frame, but all that was visible was her arm, after the photo was damaged during that fateful day… “My parents… are dead. The Octarians raided our household for some reason. They killed my parents while I hid under my bed downstairs. They found me, knocked me out, and the next thing I knew, I was in a prison camp managed by the Octarians. I spent three years plotting an escape, and getting assistance from my fellow inmates. On my 17th birthday, the plan went into action.”

“We overtook the guards and burned the place down. However, after a strange set of explosions, I was the only survivor of the riot. The place was far from Inkopolis, and it took me a while to get back to the mainland. During the riot, I managed to find the records room. I saw my name labeled on a box, and opened it. Inside, I found my shades, and this photo. I know this used to be complete, but I don’t actually remember what my mother looked like… There isn’t anything in place for that memory…” Matt finished explaining his backstory. Reed was left in shock at what he had to go through. He felt slightly ashamed about asking Matt what happened to him. “Wow… You’ve been through a lot…” Just to give him some space, he faked an excuse to leave. “Uh, I just remembered, my little sister needs me back home. It was nice catching up with you. Have a good one.” He hastily took the sandwich, stood up and walked away while waving back at Matt. He just sighed, waving as well. He took out his phone and scrolled through his messages, seeing one from Marie, his ex. Looks like she wanted to talk to him about something. He got up, finished the sandwich, and went back to his car to drive to Flounder Heights, where the Squid Sisters’ apartment is.


	3. No Pictures!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt becomes the Squid Sisters' bodyguard for the day.

Matt pulled into the parking area of Flounder Heights, got out of his car, and locked it. He pulled his phone out to contact them again. He opened up Marie’s contact to ask her what apartment he needed to go to. “Hey, Marie, what apartment are you in? I’m in the parking area.” He texted Marie. He got a reply a minute later. “18th floor, apartment 3” was the reply he got. He made sure his car was safe and went to the elevator. He pressed the 18th floor button as expected, and waited to get to said floor. Once he was there, he only had to go straight and take a right as the apartment was close to the elevator. The place looked fairly nice, the corridor was clean and it was quiet. He knocked on the door, waiting for a reply. It opened, and Marie was in the doorway, wearing a shirt and shorts. “Oh, hey Matt. You came here quickly.” Marie told him, her classic sassy looking face never leaving. “Yeah, my car’s able to do that. It’s a wonder how I don’t crash.” He said, looking to the left. “Well, head on in. Callie’s been meaning to meet ya.” She stepped out of the way and opened up the door further.

Matt went inside to find a clean looking living room, and sounds of… someone jumping on a bed? “Callie, Matt’s here. Stop jumping on your bed, you know that’s gonna break.” Marie loudened her voice, and the jumping stopped. Callie came out of her bedroom wearing her pajamas and her hat. “Hello, Matt! Nice to meet you!” She had the same tone that Matt knew from seeing her on the news. “Hey, Callie. Nice to meet ya too.” He replied, adjusting his shades so they don’t hide his eyes. “So, I assume Marie called you here to talk about something?” Callie asked him as she led him to the couch. “Yeah, what do you need?” Matt asked in reply. Marie chimed in. “We’re planning to go out today, and we kinda need you to ward off any paparazzi. You can let singular fans through, though. But if a lot of people show up, you need to intervene.” She explained. “So you need me to be your bodyguard then?” He asked. “Pretty much.” “Do I get paid?” Marie looked to the left when he asked that. “Well, do I at least get to beat people up?” “Yeah, definitely.” Marie felt relieved when he asked that. “I’ll do it.” “Great! We’ll go get dressed. This is gonna be fun!” Callie cheered, while Marie just shook her head no with a smile on her face. Matt just raised an eyebrow.

After they got dressed, they headed out of the apartment and decided to let Matt drive them. They went to the parking area, and got into Matt’s car. Thankfully, it was a four seater. Both Marie, who was wearing a simple green shirt with pants and sneakers, and Callie, who was wearing her casual outfit from Octo Canyon, got into the backseat. They both liked how cool the car looked, from the sleek black paint job to the comfortable leather seats inside. “Wow… How much was this? And where did you get the money?” Callie asked him. “I’m not allowed to tell you either, but it sure wasn’t cheap.” Matt said, chuckling. “So, where we headed?” He asked them. “Arowana Mall!” Callie yelled out. “Gotcha.” Matt said before kicking into fifth gear and going at a ridiculous speed. “Hold on to your head ornaments!” Marie held onto one of the car’s handles, while Callie literally held onto her hat. Matt went right past all the traffic, yet somehow he doesn’t crash the car. Within a literal minute of driving, they were already at Arowana. Callie was dizzy, while Marie was surprised she wasn’t dead. “How crazy do you have to be to drive that fast!?” She yelled at Matt, who just turned off the ignition. “Crazy prepared, that’s what.” He exited the car, and helped them out by opening the door and getting them out. Once they were out, he made sure they still had their wits about them. They did, and he got back in the car. “You guys go on ahead, I’ll go get a parking spot.” He drove off to the mall’s parking area as the two went off on their business.

Matt found a good parking spot and pulled into it. He made sure the car was locked like earlier, and kept the air conditioning on so the seats wouldn’t be too hot when they got back. It had a pretty large battery capacity and the air conditioning didn’t consume all that much power, so he’d be fine. He pulled out his phone to message Marie again. “I’m parked. Where you at?” He waited for a reply. “Department store, entrance” was what he got. He headed inside the mall and headed there. He found the two of them taking a selfie with what he assumed to be a fan. It was just one girl, so he let it slide. Once they finished up, Matt approached them. “Oh, hey Matt. We’re gonna go shopping right about now. How about you go do something you want? I’ll just message you if we need help.” Marie told him. “I already took care of that suggestion. Here.” He tossed her a small remote with a button on it. “Hit that if something’s up. I’m gonna go to the arcade. Gotta keep my high score there.” Matt said nonchalantly before walking away, turning around to see Callie wave him off.

He exited the department store to head to the fifth floor, not too far from the second floor, the one he was on. He took the escalator as usual, and found the Power Station arcade that he went to on a weekly basis. Personally, he liked that specific one because of the aesthetic of its design, and how it’s got the latest games most of the time. Like Squid Beatz 2, Jubeat, DanceRush, and Sound Voltex, among other rhythm games, his favorites. It’s also got fighting and shooter games, his second and third favorite. He immediately went to the Jubeat machine to see if he’s still got it. He looked through the song list and found three songs he played on it: Bad Apple, Black Bullet, and Color Pulse. Spending the next 15 minutes, he made sure he got an S grade on all the songs. Sure enough, he did. He pumped his fist, and made sure his card was registered on it. Before he could move on to a different game, his phone started to ring. He checked it, and saw the distress signal from the remote earlier was active. They must have a problem… He dashed out of the arcade, but not before leaving a tip at the cashier.

He went down the escalators and went to the department store. Inside, he found a group of Inklings surrounding the Squid Sisters, all holding cameras and trying to take pictures of them. Paparazzi… Matt ran to them, found an opening, and dodgerolled in front of the girls, blocking them from getting their pictures taken, much to the annoyance of the Inklings and to the relief of the Squid Sisters. “No pictures! Get away!” Matt yelled at them. They were noisy and still trying to get pictures, but they were mostly blocked off by Matt. He made sure to figure out a path for the Squid Sisters to get away. As he moved them out, he blocked off the pictures. However, one of them suddenly grabbed Callie, and in retaliation, Matt grabbed his arm and threw him on the ground hard enough to make a dent in it. “How many times do I have to tell you guys to screw off!? Go!” He yelled at them, venom in his voice. That looked enough to make them go away as the Squid Sisters went back to Matt. “Thanks, Matt. They were really getting on our nerves…” Marie told him, relieved. Callie dashed over and hugged him. “Thank you!” Matt couldn’t do anything but smile awkwardly. “You’re welcome…” From there, they left the department store to head back to the car. They got in, and as Matt started the ignition, Marie grabbed his arm. “Maybe try not to go too fast…” She tried to ask him. “Sorry, no can do. Gotta go fast, after all.”

Sure enough, Matt shifted back into fifth gear and drove them straight back to Flounder Heights, dodging cars along the way. Once they arrived again, Matt parked under a tree that was nearby instead of the parking lot. The girls got off, and Matt followed. As they went back to the building, Marie stopped and turned to Matt. “Thanks, Matt. We really needed to get rid of those guys. Guess I can just call you if we have a problem like that, huh?” Marie told him, a smile on her face. “Yeah. I’ll be happy to help, don’t worry.” He gave her a thumbs up. She chuckled, and left to catch up with Callie. Matt walked off, waving at the two of them. He found a bench and sat down, tired. “I really should have gotten more sleep last night… Went down at about 3am. I need to fix up my sleep schedule…” He started to doze off, leaning his head on the bench. He needed some rest… Suddenly, someone came up from behind the bench and yelled at him straight in the ear. “WAKE UP SLEEPYHEAD!!!” Matt woke up with a jolt, as if he was shot with adrenaline. He looked back to find it was Alex, someone else he knew. “What the hell!? Why did you do that!?” Matt yelled right back at her. She just put on a smug smile and descended behind the bench, disappearing for no apparent reason. He just fell back down on the bench, exasperated. “She got you again, didn’t she?” Matt looked to the right to see it was Kinzie who said that. Kinzie Kenzington, his girlfriend. A set of Full Moon Glasses, White Inky Rider, and Amber Sea Slug Hi-tops. It went well with his own outfit of 18K Aviators, Black Inky Rider, and Moto Boots. He was a fan of the Rockenberg brand, even though his bank account says that he'd fit better for Toni Kensa. “How did you get here…? Nevermind.” He didn’t even bother to get up and move to her. “Are you just gonna stay here? I didn’t come all the way out here to watch you sleep, y’know. It’s not even comfortable on that bench.” Kinzie chimed in at Matt’s somewhat laziness. “…Fine. I’ll just get up…” He reluctantly stood up and went with Kinzie back to his car, with Kinzie in the driver’s seat. Wonder where they’re headed…


	4. Player Two/Getting Cooked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kinzie takes the helm as Matt is exhausted, and Pearl tries to rap battle Matt and fails miserably.

As Kinzie was driving the car back to Moray Towers, Matt was in the back trying to sleep, but to no avail. “Ugh…” Kinzie rolled her eyes. “Do you want a coffee or something?” She told Matt, seeing a coffee shop in the distance. “Yeah… Make it the largest one…” Kinzie drove to the parking lot, finding an open spot, and leaving the car there. “Stay in the backseat and don’t move until I get back. If someone tries to rob the car, shoot ‘em.” Kinzie told Matt, who just gave her a thumbs up. She took Matt’s wallet from the dashboard and went into the shop. She looked at the menu and saw they had caramel macchiato. “Can I get a large caramel macchiato?” Kinzie told the cashier. She handed her enough for the coffee, and after a few minutes, it was given to her. She left the store to find someone trying to break in the car. He saw her, and approached her carrying a crowbar. Unfazed, Kinzie threw the coffee in the air, kicked him in the face, grabbed his arm, and threw him on the ground before knocking him out with a stomp to the face. She stepped back, and caught the coffee before it hit the ground. She turned back to the car to see Matt was watching the whole ordeal, a smile on his face. “What?” She told him once she got back in the car. She handed him the coffee, and Matt chuckled. “Nothing. Guess the skills I taught you are working pretty well, huh?” Matt asked her. She just rolled her eyes and started the car, while Matt sat back in the seat, drinking the coffee.

“So, how did you find me at that bench?” Matt asked, still sipping away at the coffee. “Well, when I saw some crazed lunatic racing through the traffic to the Squid Sisters’ apartment, I knew it was you. So I walked to the place and showed up right as Alex yelled at you. I always wondered what was wrong with that girl…” As Kinzie was talking, they had finally made it back to Moray. Kinzie pulled into the garage and left the car, followed by Matt. He saw a nearby trash can, and threw the empty coffee cup into it. It didn’t go in. “Dammit! Why can I never get that right!?” He said, exasperated. Kinzie just shook her head and went into the elevator. Matt slid in right as the doors closed and hit the 30th floor button. Once they got up, they entered apartment 3013, Matt’s apartment. While his main door is in fact 3013, the two rooms above and below the apartment were bought by Matt and converted into different floors, albeit the lower one is more of a storage area and stage, while the bedrooms are in the top floor. The main living room is mostly in the middle floor, where Matt and Kinzie were currently. It was only 1:00 in the afternoon, but it felt like evening for Matt for some reason. Must be the exhaustion.

Kinzie walked up to Matt, who was on the couch, and waved a hand in front of his face. “Hey, you alright?” Kinzie asked him. He just shook his head before Kinzie sat down next to him. She lay her head down on his shoulder as he was barely trying to stay awake, even with the coffee. Suddenly, something snapped in her head, and her personality shifted rapidly to a different one. Particularly, her lustful one. She climbed onto Matt, mounting him by putting her legs apart and moving her lower body over Matt’s crotch. An evil smile began to creep on her face. Suddenly, what she was planning to do was cut short by a knock on the door. Her personality shifted back to her normal one, and got off Matt to answer the door. As she walked toward it, she heard several whispers from behind it. She got a knife ready from the kitchen, and used her powers to make them float next to her and turned them into six. The door was broken into, and three Octoling soldiers still loyal to Octavio instead of having fled to Inkopolis like a good number of them. Kinzie pointed her knives right at them as they broke in. She couldn’t see it, but their eyes widened at the sight of Kinzie. Instead of continuing with what they were going to do, they ran away. It didn’t stop Kinzie from throwing several knives at them, though. All the knives hit the wall of the apartment in front of Matt’s, leaving holes in them after they disappeared. Kinzie closed the door after looking through to make sure they were gone, and went back to the couch to see Matt fully asleep. She noticed something was vibrating in Matt’s chest pocket and reached inside. It was his phone. The contact said it belonged to Pearl of all people. Weird… Kinzie took the phone and went to answer it, curious as to why she’s calling…

Kinzie picked up the phone to see what Pearl wanted. “Hello?” “Matt? You there?” Kinzie raised an eyebrow. How did they know who he was? “Uh, no. I’m Kinzie, his girlfriend.” She heard Pearl gasp on the other end. “Um, where’s Matt? I kinda need to tell him about something.” Pearl told Kinzie. “Well, just tell me now. He’s asleep currently.” Kinzie replied. “I want to rap battle him. Plain and simple. Later tonight, at six. The stage at the Square. I’ll make an announcement.” Pearl explained. Kinzie raised her eyebrows, surprised. “Are you sure? He’s pretty strong at that, if everything I’ve heard is true…” She replied, her voice low. Pearl scoffed on the other end of the phone. “Ha! No one can beat MC Princess! Just make sure he’s there later. Its 5:30 already, so better make it there quick!” Pearl hung up the phone after talking. Kinzie just rolled her eyes and closed the phone. She went over to the sleeping Matt and shook him awake. “Huh… wha...?” He said, still a bit sleepy. “Pearl wants to rap battle you.” Kinzie told him. Matt’s eyes flung open, having been waiting for a chance to beat her in a rap battle. “The gremlin’s challenging me to a rap battle? This’ll be great…” A devilish grin appeared on his face. He got up and walked to his bedroom, followed by Kinzie. He entered the closet and took out a blue hoodie. He removed his jacket, but not his shirt, before putting it on. He pulled down the hood and looked back at Kinzie. “So, where is it?” “The stage down at Inkopolis Square.” Matt nodded and left the apartment, followed by Kinzie who locked the door behind them. They went to the garage in the first floor and got in Matt’s car before speeding off for the Square.

Once there, they find Pearl and Marina already there, getting ready on the stage. They parked the car nearby, and walked to the stage. Pearl notices them and glares at Matt, who returns the glare. A rivalry has been established. Matt checked his watch and saw it was 5:50. Almost time for the face off. Kinzie tapped Matt’s shoulder to get his attention. “You sure you’re ready for this?” She asked him. Matt smirked. “I’ve been practicing for this. I’ll be fine, don’t worry.” Kinzie nodded before looking for somewhere to wait as Matt went up to the stage, climbing a ladder he found on the stage instead of going to the actual stairs. Pearl raised an eyebrow while Marina tilted her head. Matt’s classic stoic look returned, and his shades reflected all the light incoming, making his eyes unable to be seen. “I hope you’re ready to get cooked, Matt. I’ll never be beat!” Pearl taunted Matt. He didn’t reply, he just went to find somewhere to wait. Pearl went with Marina to their side of the stage, and started to practice. “Pearlie, do you really wanna go through with this?” Marina asked Pearl, slightly worried about Pearl getting ahead of herself. “Don’t worry, Reena. He’ll be another one in the wins tally.” Pearl smiled smugly. Matt, meanwhile, is thinking something to himself. “Once your enemy starts boasting, they’ve already lost…”

The time had come for the battle to begin. “Y’all feeling fresh out there?” Pearl announced to the crowd that had formed in the Square after hearing about the concert. “Well, tonight we’re having not a concert, but a rap battle!” The crowd went wild, but Pearl’s fans were the loudest. “Me, MC Princess, against him!” She pointed to a hooded Matt, whose tentacles were missing. “He doesn’t have a codename, but who cares? I’ll cook him anyway!” She kept speaking before the music kicked in, courtesy of Marina, DJ Hyperfresh. Pearl got her voice ready, while Matt removed his hood, releasing his tentacles and showing he removed his shades, revealing a determined look on his face. Pearl was up first, and she grabbed a mic from the stand.

“_Yo, I’m the biggest rapper in this entire damn place_

_Try to step up to me and you’ll fall flat on your face_

_Even without my dualies, I’m still gonna splat ya_

_All of your rhymes are gonna be sent right back at ya_

_So you decided to come here, challenging me_

_But in the end, all of us will see_

_After you’re done messing with me_

_Just how badly burnt you’ll be!”_

Pearl’s fans cheered, but Matt didn’t react. He just waited for the music to make a cue that he understood, and took a different mic. He closed his eyes, tapping into his past and his rehearsed lines for when he ever fights against Pearl, mixing in some new lines as well. He stepped up, and started rapping.

_“You’re talking pretty tall for a girl who’s that short_

_I’m only 5’7” but I’m still higher than you, dork_

_Might wanna get a bucket and be ready to douse_

_Because my name is Matt Miller and I’ll be burning this house!_

_You challenge me to rap without hearing ‘bout my past_

_I’m only using words but I’m still kicking yo ass!_

_Standing my ground, able to spit these bars_

_Meanwhile you can’t even reach the pedals on your car!_

_Coming up to me asking that you wanna fight against the M_

_But lethal or non-lethal you’re gonna lose in the end_

_I might sound like I boast about myself a lot_

_But if androids can boast, then you must be a bot_

_I don’t even wanna use your catchphrase when you’re killed_

_Because lyrically, Pearl? You just got grilled.”_

Matt dropped the mic, and surprisingly, the crowd cheered. Kinzie was celebrating pretty wildly as well. Pearl on the other hand, had a pretty shocked look on her face as she wasn’t expecting Matt to be that vicious. She just walked backwards, but stumbled over her own chair and fell backwards. Marina went after her, but the crowd still cheered for Matt, who raised his hands in the air, as if exciting the crowd. Looks like we know who won this bout. Kinzie ran up to the stage and hugged Matt, a smile on her face. “I knew you could do it!” Matt chuckled at her words. “Of course I could! I’ve had experience, you know.” Matt replied, a smirk on his face. They went over to Pearl to see if she was alright. She had just gotten up after falling over, and was a bit irritated. “Guess you shouldn’t have tried to rap battle me then.” Matt told Pearl smugly. She just stormed off, angry. Marina looked at Matt and handed him something. It was a piece of paper. Kinzie was looking in the other direction, so she didn’t notice this. Matt pocketed the paper and went down the stage, the crowd taking pictures of him. He left the Square in his car, accompanied by Kinzie. Pearl didn’t follow her own catchphrase and got grilled as a result. How ironic…


	5. Unwanted Attention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt tries to enjoy his day, but can't do so. At least Marina's there to help him out, right?

As Matt drove home from the Square with Kinzie, he was laughing boastfully. “I can’t believe she really thought she’d win!” He said out loud, Kinzie giggling in the passenger’s seat right next to him. While he doesn’t exactly understand why she just giggles, he doesn’t mind. “This is gonna be on the news tomorrow, isn’t it?” Kinzie said, one of her eyebrows raised, a smile still on her face. Matt calmed down and thought for a moment. “Hm, maybe, but…” He stopped the conversation after seeing that they had arrived back at Moray Towers. He pulled in and parked the car in his usual space, and they quickly went up the elevator to the 30th floor. They went into Matt’s apartment to relax. Matt fell on the couch, followed by Kinzie, who snuggled up next to him comfortably. They were down to shirts and shorts, Matt wearing the red one underneath his jacket, and Kinzie wearing her black one. While Matt felt more tired than Kinzie, she just liked to crawl up next to him since his aura gives off a cold temperate, but not freezing cold. It was comforting, like an inversed campfire. Matt put an arm around her, and she shuffled closer. Matt’s eyes began to close as he let the fatigue take over. Kinzie just put her head on his chest and shut her eyes as well. It felt like a calm moment, a rarity for both of them considering their history. The night passed, and unknown to them, news was making its way around Inkopolis…

When Matt woke up in the early morning, he saw Kinzie still asleep next to him, having moved her head to the couch cushion, her mouth open. Matt chuckled lightly before grabbing the remote for the television. He turned it on and went through the channels before seeing the morning news was on. He watched the broadcast’s intro, courtesy of the Squid Sisters. They went back to doing broadcasts after Callie’s rescue and their subsequent return together. After they got the normal intro and other things out of the way, there was something special they had to report on at the end. “Before we end this broadcast, there’s something viral on the internet!” Callie said to the camera, her classic smile on her face. “Yep. And it isn’t a trend either…” Marie replied, doing a small grin. “A lot of people have been talking about the battle last night on social media between Pearl and someone who came out of nowhere.” Callie explained. “His name was Matt Miller, wasn’t it? Yes, you’re watching this right now, aren’t you, Matt?” Marie stared into the camera, her smug smile coming on. Only a handful of people, Idols included, knew who he was, so it was pretty shocking for Matt to see that he’d suddenly become famous. He didn’t exactly want this, as he much preferred not being known. It would really impact his job. He knew that this’ll blow over eventually, but he still felt particularly tense. He’d eventually have to deal with this. In fact, he had to do that right now, as there were knocks on his door. He got up, making sure Kinzie was still asleep, and checked the door’s peephole. There were a bunch of people there, and when he opened up the door, he was assaulted by cameras. He quickly shut the door, leaning against it to keep it closed. He swiftly locked it, and stepped away. Boy, he was gonna have to deal with this earlier than expected…

He walked back to Kinzie, who was awoken by the commotion from the door. “How am I gonna get rid of all them…” Matt whispered to himself as he fell on the couch. He had no idea how to control them, so he had to think of something quick. He remembered the paper Marina gave him the previous night, and went for his jacket. In the chest pocket, he pulled it out and read the paper. It had a cellphone number and Marina’s logo on it. Did she just give him his number? He grabbed his phone from the kitchen table and dialed the number. It started ringing for a bit before someone picked up. “Hello?” Marina’s voice sounded. “Marina! I need help! Can you get rid of all these people here at my door somehow?” Matt asked her. “Matt? Uh, I’ll figure something out. Maybe I can announce something where everyone can go.” She replied. “Just do it!” Matt shouted, panicking. Suddenly, everyone outside’s phones flared up with news about Marina making an announcement at the Square. They all ran to the elevators, and whoever got left outside of it dashed down the stairs. It was thirty flights, but it didn’t seem to matter to them. When Matt checked again to see that they were gone, he sighed in relief. “Thanks, Marina. Saved my skin there.” He told her over the phone. “No problem, Matt. Consider that sort of a reward after winning last night’s battle.” He heard her chuckle. He did as well, and dropped the call. He set up a new contact for Marina in his phone, right next to his sister, Mindy’s. He locked his phone and put it back down on the table. Kinzie tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. “Hey, who was that?” She asked Matt. “Oh, that was Marina. I asked her to help get rid of the people outside.” He replied, slowly walking back on the couch and collapsing on it. He leaned his head back on the cushion as he felt Kinzie sit down next to him. “How the heck am I gonna get rid of all this…” He said to himself. “Just stay in here until this ends. It’s just your fifteen minutes of fame, after all.”

For the rest of the morning, he just played video games with Kinzie. “NOT AGAIN! WHY IS LITTLE MAC SO POWERFUL!?” Kinzie yelled out as Matt cheered. “I beat you with what people say is the worst character in the game! Haha!” He taunted Kinzie. She slapped him upside the head, making him stop. “Alright, alright.” He chuckled lightly before Kinzie went somewhere else, presumably to break something in anger. She wasn’t one to take a loss in a videogame lightly. Matt saw her enter the laundry room, so she might be attacking the laundry basket again. He goes to the kitchen to make himself a cheese sandwich paired with some iced tea. He took it back to the living room and set it down on the table, falling back on the couch. He grabbed the sandwich and started eating while scrolling through the channels on his television, having turned off the console to see if anything good is on. He saw another broadcast, albeit from Off the Hook this time. He left it on, biting his sandwich. “Y’all know what time it is!” Pearl kicked off the intro. Matt didn’t listen after having heard that so many damn times. After the stage announcements, there wasn’t anything interesting. However, something caught his eye when he noticed his name in the background on a poster behind Marina. How did that get there? It looked like a picture of Matt in his rapper outfit, with several details accompanying it on the poster. The art looked nice. Must be made by Marina. Once the broadcast ended, he took his phone and called Marina. After some ringing, she answered. “Hello? Matt?” Marina said, fixing up her turntable. “Hey, Marina. Say, what’s that poster behind you?” He asked her. She turned around and saw the poster she had made earlier. “Oh, that. I thought it’d look nice, y’know?” She explained. Matt nodded, even though Marina wouldn’t know. “Well, I do like neon writing. Good stuff. Can you make me one?” He asked her. “Sure! I’ll send it to your place.” Marina told him, slightly cheerfully. “Thanks!” He hung up the phone and threw it on the couch. He’s still got a lot to take care of other than this. He needs a break…


End file.
